1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device intended to prevent its user from snoring. More specifically, the present invention relates to an anti-snoring device that is both manipulable and reducible to accommodate different mouth sizes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
To be accused of snoring is enough to keep many persons awake at night wondering whether they are guilty of such deeds. Yet most persons will agree, it is far worse to suffer through a night of broken sleep as a result of another's thundering nocturnal etudes.
It is generally accepted that snoring is the result of breathing through the mouth that causes vibrations of the soft palate against the uvula. In developing devices to assist individuals to overcome their snoring problem, the prior art almost exclusively has attempted to remedy the problem by preventing or restricting the flow of air through the mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 746,869, which issued to Stillman A. Moulton on Dec. 15, 1903, discloses an anti-snoring device comprised of a membrane having a central aperture and a flap covering the aperture. The Moulton '869 device, when inserted in its normal position, allows a user to exhale through the mouth, but forces a user to inhale through the nose.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,178,128, which issued to Donald H. Waite on Oct. 31, 1939, discloses an anti-snoring device that utilizes a perforated membrane to limit airflow through the mouth. Thus, the Waite '128 device does not restrict airflow to a single direction or otherwise eliminate all airflow through the mouth.
Each of the devices disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,483,694, which issued to Albert F. Stukey on Feb. 12, 1924, U.S. Pat. No. 2,627,268, which issued to Elsa L. Leppich on Feb. 3, 1953, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,867,212, which issued to William A. Nunn, Jr., on Jan. 6, 1959, utilize a solid membrane inserted between the lips and gums to prevent airflow in either direction through the mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,636, which issued to Thomas H. Woods on Apr. 4, 1989, also uses a solid membrane to prevent airflow in either direction through the mouth. The device disclosed in Woods '636, however, is adhered in place over the mouth to prevent airflow in either direction through the mouth.
While each of the above described devices may be successful in arresting or otherwise correcting the habit of snoring, none of the devices is easily manipulable by the user. Furthermore, none of the above devices is easily reducible in its height or length to facilitate more comfortable use of the device by persons having variously sized jaws.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.